Ayuba says Mutharika gagged students: ‘I was told to shut up’

Chancellor College Students Union president James Ayuba Sylvester has claimed that President Peter Mutharika behaved like a tip pot dictator when he met student leaders at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe on Thursday, saying he gagged them from expressing themselves freely.

President Peter Mutharika meets public Universities Students at Kamuzu Palace on Thursday(C)Stanley Makuti

President Peter Mutharika meets public Universities Students at Kamuzu Palace on Thursday(C)Stanley Makuti

President Peter Mutharika meets public Universities Students at Kamuzu Palace on Thursday(C)Stanley Makuti

Ayuba told Nyasa Times that that he was told to “shut up” by President Muthalika during the fees hike meeting.

President ordered a K50 000 reduction in the fees from a minimum of K400 000 to K350 000 per student per year.

According to Ayuba, he was gagged after he wanted to put it across to President Mutharika to prioritise issues that can contribute to the country’s development, arguing that the reduction is manifestly inadequate as the fees would affect development as many students from economically poor backgrounds will fail to access tertiary education.

He said his argument was to ask the President and his colleagues not to reach a conclusion on Muthalikas’ decision without consulting their fellow students whom they represent.

“I was very shocked to hear Muthalika telling me to shut up without giving me a right ot be heard. I concluded that the President just wanted us to rubber stamp his decision, justified or not,” said Ayuba.

“We were there not to say our views but the students’ and for us to rush accepting the K50, 000 deduction as the President wanted was part of betraying our fellow students who are also affected by the current fees hiked,” he explained.

He therefore said the President should not think it is closed matter because they have not consulted their fellow students on the matter.

University of Malawi Students Union (UMSU) president Tiwonge Sikwese said “we are yet to meet with our fellows therefore it will be difficult to say something.”

During the meeting, Muthalika also ordered the the reopening of Chancellor College which was closed after the students’ protest.

Addressing the students before the meeting, Mutharika had however, stressed that fees in Universities should not be expected to be cheap arguing that learning facilities need to be of good quality and that University qualifications should meet international standards.

He said “We don’t want you to graduate as international rejects. I don’t want the international community of universities questioning our qualifications and you yourselves are not happy with some of the conditions and environment in which you learn. Most Malawians want us to improve our education.”

On the other hand, he appreciated the dialogue approach taken by the students in approaching him saying “breaking other people’s cars and burning your own hostels will not bring you any solution.”

The Head of State has since promised to look into the portfolio of mature entry students to see how the fee reduction would be effected according to Sikwese.

To Chodziwadziwa…kkk. what discipline were you pursuing in Oxford???? how was isis River before you left??? Your name is not in Oxford (Oxon)…kkkkk. you too is another brute..kkkkk. tag me if you want…kkk..maybe you were under distance learning.kkkkkkkk

Mr Scotland Yard!!!…..Your comments just substantiate that you are one of those savages being bankrolled by political parties. Write something that we can appreciate not making scathing comments about people who are fighting hard for the common good of average Malawians. Let every Malawian enjoy his or her right to education. I did not appreciate your comments and that motivated me to pump some sense in savages like you who have never gone beyond a mere primary education. If you want to know when I was at Oxford write me and am free to provide such information. Your comments substantiate… Read more »

The fees should not have come down! These drunkards (aka students) also get MK50,000.00 per month as allowances. Are you sure parents dont have any obligation to lookm after their children at university! Nope! PEG THE FEES AT k500,00 per semister! nOTHING IS FOR FREE IN THIS WORLD!

IN A COUNTRY WHERE THE REGIONAL GOVERNORS OF THE KUDONTONI CALBRE RUN THE AFFAIRS,YOU ARE BOUND TO GET STUPID DECISIONS.MALATA SUBSIDY BEING PRIORITIZED AT THE EXPENSE OF UNIVERSITY EDUCATION SUBSIDY. MY TAKE AND THAT OF MANY GOOD THINKING MALAWIANS IS THAT MK50,000.00 UNIVERSITY FEES REDUCTION IS NOT ADEQUATE CONSIDERING THAT WHEN THESE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS GRADUATE AND JOIN GOVERNMENT, THE GROSS SALARY IS AROUND MK200,000/MONTH.SALARY OF SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICERS AT GRADES AS HIGH AS DEPUTY DIRECTOR IS AROUND MK600,000..THIS IS THE TIME WHEN PETER MUTHALIKA SHOULD DEMONSTRATE TO MALAWIANS THAT HE IS INDEED A PROFESSOR NOT LIKE MR KUDONTONI OR SANGA… Read more »

PEOPLE, DON’T put the blame on the representatives. What Ayuba is saying is true, you can not tell the President your mind in his house, even PAC Leaders themselves when they go to meet the President they don’t speak what they had initially planned to say. it becomes a very intimidating situation. if the President was a man of understanding he would have let the Students express themselves freely wich was not the case here.
It is now up to the other students to decide otherwise K350,000 is still on the higher side.

To Nyotoman!!! Mark my words!!!!You cant talk evil of the Living God and be blessed…Never…Ayuba is ISIS period. Talk shit of your mother and prepare to go on empty stomach until such a day you apologize for being rude to your parent. President Prof Peter is well educated..please go and read his CV. In 2005 it would have taken a very fast reader 46 minutes to go through it. It was by far too richer than the late Secretary General of United Nations Dr Butlos Butlos Ghali of Egypt. Please do travel. In 1971 he was lecturing at London University… Read more »

This is nothing but hatred towards a young man AYUBA. You would have brought your facts well not venting anger on him with so much profanity. University of Malawi is a public entity not a party institution and Malawians, whether poor or rich have the right to express their feelings as regards to the fees structure. My understanding is that not everyone who is demonstrating against the fees belongs to the opposition party, some even voted for the incumbent president into power. It is a question of whether the fees are sustainable to an average Malawian. AYUBA might be coming… Read more »

so wat if the president is educated? does it give him power to intimidate people? its your mindset that kills malawi’s development. Do u think the fees hike is necessary while his government refuses to increase peoples salaries claiming that there is no money?. Dont be a hand clapper even when things are going wrong.

And he wastes our money to receive a very cheap honorary degree. For your own information many Malawians have lectured in London before. Everyone can make their CV long. It is all about content. Even Joyce Banda’s CV will be very long considering the number of lectures or public speeches she has given.

Please, do NOT mention Joisi Banda here, in this context! Chibwana eit?
She doesn’t belong in the category of the educated. Her lectures are incoherent, secondary school grade, and almost invariably incoherent and amateurish.
That is the truth!

I Ayuba should just shut. He should not try to to clean himself. He’s also part of the mess as he was part of the meeting. These so called our leaders were supposed to agree on one resolution before meeting the president and have one spokesperson to communicate the same. It a show of un-preparedness to have every student speak their mind right there and then. Further to that Ayuba should know that in any meeting on earth, you cannot all agree on one thing. You may hold different views but finally you go by the majority decision or consensus.… Read more »

Ayuba and co. should take this as a step, albeit a very small one, look to the future. One step at a time.Start right now negotiating with the government regarding the fee schedule next year and the near future. Even though the student leaders’ motives are noble (mostly), there is NOT much goodwill now regarding the strike. Most students and parents want to go back. And again, hopefully, grants, loans etc will be available so that students discontinue their studies for financilal reasons. Question: Why are mature students penalized, punished and abused by such exceptional high fees? Are they high… Read more »

Ayuba, you mean makani onse aja umachita kunja kuno you failed to force the president listen to you? What a student representative we have. So you came out of the meeting and you want to incite your friends into violence again and you will be happy with that? Shame